Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatally shot Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian man, in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, July 13, 2026. The killing marks the 11th death caused by federal immigration officials since President Donald Trump began his second term in early 2025, and the fifth such incident involving a vehicle.
Conflicting Accounts Emerge
Witnesses and officials have provided differing narratives of the shooting. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, stated on X that agents were conducting surveillance on an illegal alien with a final order of removal. When the individual departed in a vehicle, agents attempted a stop, but the vehicle fled. An officer discharged his weapon, striking the driver, who later died. However, it remains unclear if Guerrero was the subject of the warrant.
Senator Angus King's office confirmed that DHS informed them Guerrero was not the person targeted by the warrant. Witnesses told local media that agents rammed Guerrero's sedan, surrounded it with guns drawn, and shot him as he tried to flee. One witness reported hearing Guerrero say, "I tried to stop," as agents pulled him from the car.
Victim's Background and Reactions
Immigrant rights activists stated that Guerrero was married with a young child, had a social security number, and was authorized to work in the United States. Colombia's US embassy expressed deep regret and requested clarification from DHS regarding the circumstances. A witness noted that Guerrero's daughter was still in pajamas wearing a Bluey shirt when her father was killed.
Pattern of Violence
Guerrero's death is the second in a week involving ICE; on July 7, agents in Houston fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while searching for another person. Protests have erupted, reminiscent of those following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January 2026.
